The Prince Journals: One for All, and All for One
by Lady-of-Nolava
Summary: Atlantis, the new Continent, has just risen, and nerd Cal Alfrenzo was the estranged crown prince. Flying to Atlantis, he befriends spunky Lia and she helps him survive the Prince Regent Roy, Cal's uncle's plot to usurp the throne.
1. Chapter 1

The Prince Journals

One for all,

and all for one

by Cal Alfrenzo,

with commentary by Lia Atlanto

Monday, 11th January, New Continent of Atlantis

It was all Lia's bright idea. I mean, she thinks that I should write a journal to record my findings and of my particular city. She suggests that she could be my editor and maybe I could even publish this "book". Does she think I want to be like the girl in _The Princess Diaries_?

Although Lia is strongly against _The Princess Diaries_ (she is a tomboy, and does not approve people writing about their private life, like their undergarments' sizes, however fictional, in a published book), she thinks that I have a creative mind and should be encouraged to have my freedom of speech.

So here I am. At the new Continent, Atlantis. Here is what you should know:

Atlantis is a real land. Long, long ago, it sank to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean, due to a tsunami generated by this great seismic earthquake caused by a giant volcano eruption, not due to the Ice Age (like being trapped in a giant iceberg beneath the ocean). Atlanteans, being very advanced, like they already invented gun powder, had some scientist made a rudimentary gadget that makes oxygen from underwater green plants, and using electric eels to provide electricity for light bulbs (some guy invented it way before Thomas Alva Edison did) to grow crops and all that. It's like this truly beautiful Garden of Eden, with flowers and birds. Atlantean scientists had made a protective, waterproof sphere that surrounded Atlantis not unlike the ozone layer surrounds the earth. Sometimes there may be a leak or two, but it wasn't very serious.

Atlantis is very big, like about 5 to 10 million square kilometers, or the size of Libya and Asia put together. It's a wonder it lays hidden below a large oceanic surface for like, thousands of years!

Atlanteans are way advanced than even America. They would have built a spaceship into space, had not they been trapped under the ocean for so long. They dared not leave the protective bubble encasing their city, protecting against freak waves and sharks, so they had to build land automobiles. They made batteries from the kinetic energy caused by waves and movements of giant sea monsters, or electricity from electric eels. Their vehicles are charged by the many light bulbs, kinda like solar energy.

At least twelve million people existed in Atlantis. There is not a great many people, as Atlanteans love animals and are mostly vegetarians (well, mostly, except for eating chickens and turkeys, they don't have any seafood) and most of the land are used for agriculture and research for improved technology.

In 1970, Atlantis _did_ emerge from the ocean. Granted, only for a night, because it was because of millenniums of stored energy enabling this heavy, gargantuan continent to rise, so that people can see the rest of the world, two Atlanteans escaped. They are the Crowned Prince of Atlantis and his pregnant wife. They were sick of having tons of ocean above them, and the Prince had made a raft out of some logs and amazingly, they reached America. Edgar Cayce may have a problem to the accuracy of his prophecy that Atlantis was due to rise one or two years before, but it rose, after all. That Prince was my Grandfather. My father was born after they reached America, and they all settled down in New York. In the year 1990, my dad met my mom and married her. He did not tell her about Atlantis. And then later, I was born.

So that's my life story. I would never had know I'm the next Crown Prince of Atlantis if:

my dad hadn't died,

Atlantis hadn't risen again.


	2. Chapter 2

Serious. Atlantis had risen. I simply could not believe my ears when I heard that Atlantis had risen. I am a scientific person, and do not believe in myths and legends. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I'm the ruler of a legendary city, which turns out to exist after all, and am expected to leave New York and rule that city, which, though advanced in science and others, hadn't seen the light of day since forever.

_Not true, my mom saw it thirty or so years ago!_

That was Lia, invading my privacy.

_I am NOT! Plus, I'm your BEST friend, and I'm the one who ask you to write a journal, and if you're getting it published, I'm going to edit it anyway, and besides, thousands of others will read your journal._

So anyway, back to my story about the death of my parents and what happened next that changed my life forever.

'I was awakened rudely at midnight by the shrill rings of my telephone. Scrambling out of bed, I picked it up and said groggily, " 'Ello?" And was greeted by an unfamiliar male voice. "Is this the home of Michael Laurence, in Manhattan?"

"Yup! Is there anything I can help?" I asked. "Your parents, Mr Carmichael Alfrenzo Laurence and Madam Cassandra Charity Atlas have sadly perished in a tragic car accident in Paris, France, at eight today," the voice answered. I was momentarily shocked. My loving parents, who have gone to Paris for some honeymoon recollections for a week, have perished in a tragic car accident? Oh my gosh! WHO KILLED THEM????!!!!

"Mr Buggly Borris, aged 32, killed them in a drink and drive frenzy. He was questioned just now, and unable to raise bail, so he is spending the night at one of the cells. There will be a trial held in the Parliament at the 22nd of January. You are informed to attend with some of your relatives. Some of the New York policemen are coming over to your house a short time later. Goodbye." There was a "toot!" sound, and the line went dead. I slammed the receiver down, and hurled my pillow across the room. How could Borris kill my parents? It's not their fault they just happen to cross that road! Whoever Borris

is, let him rot in jail.

Anyway, I had no relatives, no friends, being a geek who found history textbooks interesting, I was all set to curl up and reread the history textbook, when my door bell rang.

Thinking that a thirteen-year-old kid, home alone, should not open the door to strangers, I shouted through the peephole, "Who are you?"

A bemused voice said, "Your bodyguard."

I swear, I was so shocked, I actually thought that the police sent me a bodyguard, because they were afraid that someone might hurt me as both my parents were dead. So I ran outside and was all, "The NYPD sent you?"

"The NYPD? No, the Royal Atlantean Police Force sent me."

I was looking at him like he's crazy. The Royal Atlantean Police Force? Who does he think he is, the royal bodyguard from Atlantis, which have to mean I'm something of a royal? Oh, haha, very funny. Like real.

"Are you on crack?" I demanded.

The guy looked confused but didn't say anything. He peered past me into the living room, which is very dusty. He pursed his lips and said, "And the Ruler of Atlantis lives in squalor?"

I was ready to slam the door on his face. "Are you crazy? Talking about Atlantis and stuff? Get out, or I'll call the cops."

He just stood there, sighing. "So you haven't read the paper?"

"What paper?"  
"The _New York Times _or something?"

"Oh, no, why?"

"You should."

I, being immersed in _National Geographic _and _Animal Planet_, do not read any newspaper or watch the news, unless it's about the environment, or anything to do with science. I opened up the paper delivered on my doorstep. There, blaring at me, was the headline news:

Lost Continent of Atlantis Resurfaced After Thousands of Years

Atlantis' resurface due to seismic activity in the ocean by unexplained phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle


	3. Chapter 3

I couldn't believe it. I mean, I've always thought Atlantis was a legendary city, even though my dad tells me these real narrative stories about it, I used to dream about it when I was younger. But, hello? I've always thought the Bermuda Triangle was the headquarters of extraterrestrials. To tell me that something unexplained happened to lift up a heavy and big piece of land from the bottom of the ocean would be like telling me the sky is blue, but not the prism breaking up the light into different colours, and that blue occupies much of the prism…

"How do you know I'm the prince?" I demanded.

"Well, in 1970, the crown prince escaped with his pregnant wife, and gave birth to your father here. Plus, you look like an Atlantean. The blue eyes and blonde hair..."

Um, excuse me? This is America, and almost everyone has blue eyes and blonde hair.

"…just like your father and your grandfather, and all your ancestors before you."

How does he know my father have blue eyes and blonde hair? Maybe it shows in the genetic traits passed down by the deoxyribonucleic acid in my chromosomes or whatever. But when I told him about Americans having blue eyes and blonde hair, he just said, "Look, we pure Atlanteans know a Royal when he see one."

Which was weird, because I'm not a pure Atlantean, as my mom was a New Yorker.

"I am in charge of bringing your Royal Highness back to Atlantis.

I will give you an hour or so to pack your things and say goodbye to your friends." He continued.

"If you're going to be my bodyguard, I might as well know your name." I said.

"My name is A. Pollo, you can just call me Pollo." Pollo said.

"My name is Michael Alfrenzo Esconthias Laurence, but you can call me Cal. My dad is Car, for Carmichael, the name I was named after." I introduced.

Then I went to make a couple of phone calls, to my headmaster and the police: Mr. Head of Thomas Edison High School, I am one of your pupils, Michael Laurence, of Year 8, class 8A. I will be going to Atlantis, and most likely never to come back to your school. So I wouldn't mind if you cancel my name off the register, goodbye. Toot. To the NYPD: I am the Royal Prince of Atlantis, so I will be going back to my country, escorted by the Royal Atlantean Police Force, so I won't be here anymore. If you want to contact me about news of my parents, you can call the Atlantean Embassy, which has just been situated to New York, Las Vegas. Thank you.

And then I went to pack my stuff. My laptop, technology gadgets, ie. my walkman, cellular phone, and stuff. I also took my favourite album by Robbie Williams (contrary to popular beliefs, nerds do listen to music, but only while doing advanced Maths homework) and DVDs. I figured out since Atlantis was said to be so advanced, they're sure to have DVD players. I took all my valuables and money with me, for what use, I don't know, since I'm going to be using Atlantean currency anyway. I also took my eight-year-old pet terrapin (Terry) to my homeland, since Atlantis was an underwater world.

"I'm ready," I said. Pollo nodded.

"I should tell you more about the country you would be governing one day. Atlantis is very advanced in land automobiles, such as solar-powered cars owned by everyone. But we only have blueprints in watercraft and air automobiles, so this airflyer will be a bit of difference from your, er, airplanes? Oh, and we all owned PCs, and air-powered ammunition, which lasts for as long as there's air, but no satellites. We haven't seen a star in years. But we've already invented cures for most cancer and HIV, though we don't use drugs, we use plants and herbs, and we're not very advanced in surgery, seeing as Atlantis has no warring enemy states, and everyone only needed medicine to battle diseases. And it'll be good if you're a vegetarian, since animals are kind of scarce there, but vegetables are abundant. So sorry if you like seafood, because Atlanteans have never ate seafood in more than ten thousand years, due to the protective waterproof sphere around it, but we've got water from distillation plants around Atlantis, which was taken from underground springs.

And we've got the occasional eels, but mostly we use them for generating electricity, or for breeding, but rarely eating."

I don't hate vegetables. In fact, I almost liked them. Potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, and leafy veggies, but I only can't stand carrots, fungi, and cauliflower. Plus I never eat seafood unless it's those kind of McDonald's fish fillet, fried or sweet and sour. I only can't resist fowl, and the occasional roasted/steamed/sweet and sour ribs. I only drink fizzy drinks, like Pepsi, but I can't stand milk. So all in all, I think I have a pretty balanced diet.

And so Pollo led me to this aircraft, only as big as my bedroom, which is landed on a field. A few of my neighbours popped their heads out from their windows to look at me, since it's only two in the morning. Someone yelled, "Look! It's that geek on the fifth storey! What's he doing in a helicopter?"

I was kinda narfed at being called a nerd in front of my bodyguard, but I forgot all that when I say the interior of the airflyer. To say that it's awesome would be _the_ understatement. It's way better than all the helicopters I've ever seen in movies and those_ Concord _or _Pan Am _aeroplanes or private jets. It's a mini-aeroplane, with the interiors of luxurious First Class services, but only better. You can see all around you, as the airflyer is made of glass-like material, not metal, which was WAY cool. Maybe being the Royal Prince of Atlantis was not so bad after all.

"Where're we going in Atlantis? And don't you need a passport or something?" I asked.

"The royal capital in the heart of Atlantis. And America has granted a free pass for you."

Oh. Well, I'm not sorry about leaving the city where I was born in and had lived for thirteen years. I mean, nobody will care if I suddenly disappear from the face of the earth. Like, the people at school will be glad that the nerd was gone, my neighbours would be glad that nobody's going to complain about the noise they made while partying, and all my relatives on my mother's side was dead, plus my grandfather the Atlantean had died long ago with his wife, and he only had one son. So basically, I'm all alone.

So I had a great time watching a documentary on dinosaurs while munching on Twisties. All too soon, it was time to land.


	4. Chapter 4

There's an airport in Atlantis! Serious. Like, a landport, a seaport, and an airport. Already, airflyers will taking off with embassadors to visit other countries, and embassadors were alighting from their aeroplanes from different parts of the world. They are preparing for the Embassy Meeting next week, and I was supposed to be the host and tell them all about my country, when I only arrived the same time they had! And navy soldiers were already learning from engineers how to maintain their hydraulic ships. The land soldiers were parading

around, but when they saw me, they all stood by my side at attention, escorting me to my throne.

Then this fat, tall guy with that evil look on his face (the Count Olaf one from _A Series of Unfortunate Events_) made me feel like Klaus Baudelaire, orphaned, with a guy wanting to kill me to steal my fortune (or in my case, usurp me from my throne).

"Good morning, your Royal Highness. I am your uncle, Roy Alrenzo. When your grandfather eloped, his brother became the Prince Regent in his absence. I am his grandson. As you are newly reinstated to your throne, I will be teaching you what you need to know about the current affairs and technology and economics of Atlantis. My son, Mitchell, will be tutoring you in your lessons. We are not sure what you have learnt in America. You will be going to _Atlantean Royal Academic for Boys_, like Mitchell. The idea is that the Crown Prince can mingle with nobles his age to let them develop loyalty for you. You will inherit the throne as soon as you finished the education, which is when you are eighteen, and an adult…"

Provided that I lived till eighteen, he meant. I mean, Mitchell is blonde and blue-eyed like me, but you should see those bulging muscles. He's the kind of boy I always avoids in my previous school, the guy who always got the girl he wants. He's spoilt, but not hideously disfigured, in fact, he's a Jock. He eyed me like I'm something that just crawled out from under a stone.

"How old are you, anyway, _Prince Michael_?" He leered.

"Um, almost fourteen." It was a lie. I'm not thirteen and a half yet.

"Really?" Like I didn't know that my apparent lack of growth is due to my dormant hormones and mutated Y chromosomes. I couldn't believe he's supposed to be in my class, either: Did he use _Hair Growth Guaranteed_, or what?

"Yeah. How's your school like?" I asked to make conversation.

"Really fun. We're renowned for Sports Accomplishments, as most students are the sons of Royal Commanders, so they have to learn physical. We're not very advanced in Science and Technology, as there are very few guys like _you_, your Majesty."

That's it. I had enough of this. I didn't expect to wake up at midnight, dragged to a new continent, to be leered at by a fourteen-year-old boy. "Whatever."

Then I asked Pollo if I could go to bed. He directed me to my bedroom, and without packing, I fell asleep in my pajamas. I only woke up at lunch, which I had to shake hands with every Esteemed Royal Council Members of Court, even though my stomach was growling, and then make some stupid speech about how glad I was to be Atlantis' ruler, and then listen to some applause and questions, before finally eating one hour later.

I was really bored at the meal. I mean, after I had eaten, which was for half-an-hour, I was expected to make small talk, but I can't understand a bit of what my Ministers were talking about, since I'm still a kid, and besides Mitchell, there's nobody else to talk to. Then I noticed this girl about my age. She was looking really bored too, and playing with her food. She glanced up when she saw me, and smiled. I was actually quite freaked, as no girl has ever smiled at me before, and she's ok-looking for a girl.

Then she came over and asked me if I wanted to take a walk. I turned to ask my uncle if I could leave, before remembering that I'm the Prince, anyway, so I just went off with a strange girl and my bodyguard.

"Hi." She said. Pollo coughed. "Oh. Um, nice to meet you, your Majesty. My name is Aurelia Alexandria Atlanto. My father is your Advisor."

"Pollo," I said, "would you mind leaving us alone for a while?" Pollo just shrugged and walked off. I waited until he's out of hearing range.

"Phew!" The girl said. She smiled at me again. "I'm Lia. While I admit Aurelia is a goody name, I prefer Lia to Ria, which would be my nickname should Alexandria be my first name."

"I'm Cal. While Al is not bad should Alfrenzo be my first name, I prefer Cal better, as it resembles _Calcium_, my favourite element in the Periodic Table."

We smiled at each other. She's not bad for a girl.

"I go to your school. Even though it's a Boy's School, my stepmother says that I'm so much like a boy anyway. Besides, she can't stand me. She's actually my aunt, but ever since my mum died and she married my dad, she would cry that I reminded her so much of her dear sister, it was too upsetting for her. So my father sent me to the only boarding school available. I'm glad you're coming here, too. Even though the teachers are very strict, they're not bad. Unless Mitchell and his gang picked on you, but don't worry, I'll be there. I learned fighting."

"I don't like Mitchell or my uncle much. He looked very unhappy to see me, like he can't be the King anymore cause I showed up. Plus I'm more of the studious type, not the sporty type."

"I prefer the studious type to be King more than the sporty type. Studious people tend to care more about the environment and science, while sporty types only know how to party and make war."

So then we chat and chat, and I told her about how it felt to be a

pretty normal American teenager one minute, and the Crown Prince of a Mythical Continent that just recently surfaced from the Atlantic Ocean. Lia suggested that I could make a bestseller out of it.

"Just like _Princess Diaries_, only better, 'cause yours is real experience. Only just don't write about undergarment sizes, that's all I ask." Lia said.

Like I would, if the fact that she's taller than me doesn't already bothers me. Lia is five feet four, an inch taller than me, even without wearing shoes.

And that's my story about the death of my parents and what happened next that changed my life forever. And how I became a Crown Prince of a Mythical Island that just recently resurfaced from an ocean, and made my first best friend, a _girl_.


	5. Chapter 5

_Monday, New Continent of Atlantis_

_This is the commentary part by me, Lia. I'm going to write about the interesting things, as this book is supposed to be unisexual, and not offensive to either genders. Plus it's good to see Atlantis in two Points of View: the New Yorker one, and the Atlantean one. And Atlanteans speak English too, just like New Yorkers. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's because great minds think alike._

_That day Atlantis resurfaced was a normal day. I was in my class, chatting with that cute blonde aristocrat. We were engaging in an engaging conversation about how we can improve our technology when there's this huge explosion, and the continent just vibrated as the protective, waterproof sphere surrounding our city deflected the decibels and impact. Then several interesting things that defied all laws of Physics and Nature happened: _

_My hair just fizzed out from my two plaits. Just like that, all standing up, too. Like the earth doesn't have a gravitational force called gravity._

_We all shot up into the air, like we're on space (even though Atlanteans have never been outside the ocean before, we have several theories about the multiple dimensions, and we decided that gravitational force must not exist beyond earth, so we call it the space. _

_That cute blonde aristocrat, James, just pulled me to him, like he was scared of losing me, but I highly doubt that. Most likely he's been gentlemanly, seeing as I'm lighter than most of the boys and if nobody hold me I would float right up. _

_Atlantis suddenly zoomed upwards. There was a volcanic eruption, and the lava had punctured a hole in the protective sphere of Atlantis, which was waterproof, not lavaproof. Anyway, we floated right up above the water, the air whizzing out of the sphere propelling us upward like a motorcycle._

_Anyway, everyone rushed up to see the world. We all crowded upstairs, and saw miles of vast expanse around us. Aeroplanes were passing above. Ships were sailing past us, and the people onboard looked at us in amazement. Engineers hurried to build airflyers and watercrafts out of blueprints. Ambassadors were sent out to other countries. The RAPF (Royal Atlantean Police Force) were sent to find the estranged Crown Prince._

_Lessons were suspended for the day. We are given a holiday to visit our family._

_My father was busy chatting with _her_, the bane of my existence. _

_My aunt/stepmother. Her two kids, Amelia and Cieronna, were giggling and all. They don't go to school; they go to this hall where they sew and ogle at guys._

_Amelia, slender and, as guys say it, beautiful, looks down at me like I'm dirt, and goes all haughty. "Why, it's the great scholar!"_

_My father pretends not to hear. Amelia is not his child, but Cieronna is. Turns out they had an affair way before my mum's death._

_ My mum is this beautiful and kind lady, but she was very pale and sickly. I wish I could do her proud by being beautiful and ladylike too, but I resembles more like a ladybird than a lady. With my red hair with black streaks, of course it looks like a ladybird. My mother is the redhead, my father the black-haired one._

_I'm also tomboyish and wears pants, instead of (heaven forbid anyone should see me in) a peplos, which is the ceremonial dress of Atlantis, but still, or hoop skirts or petticoats. And I do not have a slender wasteline/shapely long fair legs/ample bosom to speak of. I resembles a boy, tanned and wiry._

_Maybe that's why I adapted to the boys' school so well. But Amelia (who likes to be called 'Mia', because Mia is the name of this princess. Like in _the Princess Diaries_, except that Amelia is more like Lana Weinberger, what with "dirty-blonde tresses and sky-blue eyes" (I ask you, what _is _it with blonde hair and blue eyes? Atlantis is a multiracial metropolis! Still, people like Amelia treats themselves like royalty and looks down on people with red or black hair and grey or green or brown eyes). Or Cieronna, with blonde-brown-in-between colour of hair and brown eyes, is fine, except that I just can't stand the "Bambi eyes"._

_And then my father was called to attend the Royal Dinner in the palace to celebrate the arrival of the Crown Prince, since the Seer has predicted that the Prince was found. I'm not sure if I believe in seers and oracles and stuff, but everyone else seems to believe them, and it's better to keep your mouth shut if you don't understand the "Mythical Forces" or Fate. _

_I begged my father to let me go with him. Women don't usually attend public ceremonies unless they're queens or princesses; they just sit back home and watch people feasting. I mean, that's completely unfair. I must admit that I'm a feminist, perhaps the only one in the whole of Atlantis. _

_So I got there, and was bored out of my mind. I mean, the Crown Prince doesn't look authoritative at all, in fact, he was rather shy and frightened, and a bit of wimpy-looking. Then maybe he was confused, he had never heard of Atlantis before, so I decided to be friendly to the poor soul and smiled at him. I think he must be quite _

_bored as well, so I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk, and we did._

_Then we talked, and I found that he's quite interesting and intelligent (as boys go), and quite a refreshing change from Mitchell, and he's an environmentalist like me, and would like to be a scientist in the future (like me!)_

_And then we got to the diary part, and when he finally agreed to write a diary and publish it (but we mustn't look at each other's entry before it's published, which I later violated this rule)._

_And you know what? I've finally made a best friend. Me: stubborn feminist/environmentalist daughter of the Royal Advisor, made a friend. And that friend is a BOY, and a PRINCE!_


	6. Chapter 6

Monday, New Continent of Atlantis

That happened yesterday. Today is Monday, the second day of the holiday due to

Atlantis rising and

the Crown Prince being found.

I am in Lia's room, she sprawling on a beanbag (I think Atlanteans call it sandbag, as it's actually made of sand. Not that beanbags are made of beans), me lying on my stomach on the floor.

"So what do you think, we finished the first two entries!" she said.

"Yeah," I said, "do you want to do something else?"

"Like what? I'm the sort who wants to finish something once I started it. Plus, this is our autobiography," Lia lamented.

"How about we each show something we wrote to the other? Like, I have no idea what your writing style is, and vice versa," I suggested.

Lia's eyes sparkled. "That's so COOL!" she agreed. Last night, she had bugged me to teach her all the slangs and expressions of modern America. But as I'm not exactly a Jock, I couldn't come up with many. I only know of "cool", "duh", and stuff like that. And I had bugged Pollo so much that he finally agreed to find some quarters in the Royal Palace for Lia to stay in.

I said, "Maybe you'd want to see my version of Snow White?"

Lia said, "If you want to see my version of Cinderella."

_Cin de Rella_

_Cin de Rella was abandoned at the orphanage, not because she's an orphan. Well, her father's still alive, anyway. It's that her stepmother, tired of seeing such a beautiful face, decided to sent her somewhere else so that her own ordinary-looking daughters would not feel so depressed._

_Cin, whose real name is Cindy, works as a maid in the orphanage. Still, even though dressed in rags, she looked gorgeous._

_At the annual ball, commenced by the Prince, her stepsisters are going there to dance. But Cin is only allowed to clean spilt food and drinks, or so she thinks._

_The other beauty of the school, Lavinia, was jealous of Cindy. Having heard the story of Cinderella, she decided to swap places with Cindy for the evening, reckoning that the Prince was sure to notice her if she looked like Cinderella, beauty shining through the dirt-stained _

_faced. So in the end, Cinderella, dressed in an ordinary hoop skirt with the least amount of make-up and jewellery, was attending the ball; while Lavinia was dressed in the most tasteful rags, ripped jeans showing her tanned legs and colourful patchwork shirt, low in cleavage._

_Now, the Prince had spilt some fruit punch. He asked Lavinia to help him clear it up, showing no other interest in her. Lavinia, who has never mopped anything before, does not know how to. _

_"And where is the bathroom?" The frustrated Prince demanded, as he had spilt fruit punch all down his shirt too. Lavinia, who had no idea where the toilet was, was at a loss._

_Then Cindy spotted the bedraggled Prince. She didn't recognize him, as she had never met the prince before. However, being polite, she snatched the mop from Lavinia's hands and deftly cleared the mess. "If you're looking for the bathroom, Sire," she said, eyeing the stain on his fancy doublet, "It's over there. I'll show you."_

_So she took the Prince to the bathroom. The prince was a practical person. Being under time constraints to pick a wife soon, he wanted a practical wife, but pleasant looking. Imagine his pleasure at finding Cindy, both practical and pretty!_

_"If you'll excuse me, ma'am, what is the size of your fourth finger?" He asked._

_"Hmm," Cindy thought. Nobody had ever asked her such a question before. She took out some string from her pocket (she always had some string available) and measured. "One and a half inch," she announced._

_Lavinia, who had the ring at the door, was anxious. What if the Prince decided to make her a ring only she could wear? Besides, only her fingers were that small! So she came up with a plan._

_After the ball, Lavinia ordered Cindy to clean up the place. "With strawberry scented detergent," she added. The thing is, Lavinia had learnt that Cindy is allergic to detergent, especially strawberry scented ones. Cindy was flabbergasted. Being allergic to detergent, she had never learnt how to use them. _

_"How do you use them?" she asked. Lavinia sighed. At least she had seen her maid in action. She purposely squeezed some into her bare hands before using her hand to wet the sponge. But she had no idea how that she was allergic to detergents too, having never used them before!_

_In seconds, Lavinia's fingers swelled into fat bacon sausages. 'Clean this up!" she squealed angrily and was out of the room. Puzzled, Cindy continued to clean using detergent, but wearing the gloves that accompanied the hoop skirt. _

_A week later, when the Prince came out of his limousine, he asked for the "pretty blonde girl with blue eyes". Of course, Cindy and _

_Lavinia. Lavinia's fingers still hadn't recovered, and she was trying to explain to the Prince about it. Cindy was just shocked that the Prince was actually that guy she escorted to the toilet!_

_So of course Cin de Rella lived happily ever after with her Prince: Cinderellas always do!_

_THE END_

Haha! Lia sure is funny. "Lia, that's really good!" I said. Lia looked pleased.

"So are you going to read mine now?" I asked.

"Sure!" Lia said.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. I asked irritatedly, "Come in!"

Pollo came in, bowing. "Your Highness, the Prince Regent grants an audience from you."

I sighed. What can the Evil Uncle want now? "Only if Lia comes as well." I demanded.

"But, Sire…"

"No buts!"

Pollo looked confused. "What does having no butts got to do with—"

God, it's a slang! In any case, me and Lia just barrelled into the Royal Conference Room. Roy looked up irritatedly.

"Michael, what is this girl doing here?"

"She is my royal secretary. I've heard that Kings had Secretaries?" I said.

Roy just glared at Lia impatiently. "Well, whatever. In any case, Sire, you will be attending the Schoolhouse next week. And you will be living there the whole year, except for the holidays."

What a good way for getting rid of me.

"I'll go, and Lia too. She'll be my secretary."

Roy sighed impatiently. "That's not all. Today, I'll be giving you a Royal Steed. Come, boy, to the stables."

A horse? I mean, for goodness sake, a horse? I'm living in the twenty-first century, and you gave me a horse?

Lia must have noticed my face, since she whispered, "Not a horse, dude. Atlantean technology advanced from horses centuries ago. It's an automobile. You'll see."

The Royal Stables was something like a garage. Inside stood the most magnificent 'bike' I've ever seen. It's one-seated, with this really advanced map area, which shows the exact position I am in Atlantis, and you can focus until you can see he minutest detail.

"This steed is on of a kind, Michael. It can fly, and speed over

water. It's powered by kinetic and solar energy. The faster you go, the more energy you have. It has strong propellers, like, what do you call them, helicopters?, and it skims over water, like—

—speedboats, and moves over land over hundred miles an hour. But mostly I'll be using air. And soon, he told me, the air will be full of this kind of automobiles, and there will be no need for land travel.

"And now, to your studies." Roy said.

"Oh, Aurelia can teach me. She's very smart." I said quickly.

"Whatever you want, Camilla can teach you. But Mitchell's going to teach you how to play sports. You will be representing us in the Olympics."

Hello? Olympics? I'm a nerd! A five-foot-two nerd! With thick glasses and knocking knees! Who said anything about me going to Olympics?

"That's why Mitchell is going to train you. He'll be your personal coach. To make you a man."

What if this is a plot to kill me? Death from excess exercise causing cardio-pulmory recessive attack?


	7. Chapter 7

_Tuesday, Atlantean Royal Academy for Boys_

_Today we arrived in the Academy. We went to see the headmaster. He's a philosopher, called Eugenes. He was very proud of the fact that he was the best philosopher in the whole of Atlantis city. He was white-haired, just like that guy Cal showed me a picture of, that _Gandalf_ in _Lord of the Rings_, Cal's favourite movie._

_"Morning, Ms. Atlanto, and His Royal Highness Prince Michael Alfrenzo Esconthias Laurence. Pleasure to meet you. I am Eugenes, headmaster of the Atlantean Royal Academy for Boys. Ms. Atlanto will show you our facilities. I hope you have a pleasant stay here. Goodbye."_

_"Wait…" Cal said._

_"Yes, Sire?" Eugenes asked._

_"Which class am I in?"_

_"Oh. I heard you want to be a scientist. You will be in class Alpha, Didaskale Diogenes' class."_

_Cal mumbled, "Thanks," and we went to my class. Luckily Didaskale (teacher) Diogenes is not like the philosopher Diogenes, who go around naked. He's just eccentric about science. _

_James, the cute blonde aristocrat, looked happy to see me. Sigh. A girl can only hope… but which guy, cute and blonde, falls for a ladybird-hair tomboy?_

_Anyway, James introduced himself to HRH Cal and they really hit it off. Like, James might be blonde, but he's not a snotty Jock. He's full of compassion to help other people. And his father's the Treasurer. _

_Then during Sports Class… well, disaster._

_Coash Vizalian was a muscular, tanned guy. He could not tolerate whims. So even though Cal's the Crown Prince, well, he doesn't care. In fact, he made Cal work even harder._

_"That's it, Sire, Ten laps. Go!"_

_Ten laps. Each lap is five hundred metres? And that means… _Five kilometre_? I mean, hello? Does Cal strike you as buff, Coach? Um, I think not. Plus, he had a weak heart. What if that killed him? I'm not going to perform a cardiopulmonary resuscitation! I mean, Cal's my friend and all, but still, mouth to mouth… _eew.

_Plus if he died, the coach's head will totally be rolling on the floor. I'm not a big supporter of corporal punishment, but in this case, it's an exception._

_Cal looked pained. "How much is one lap, Lia?"_

_"Well… five hundred metres." I said._

_Cal looked ready to faint. "W-what?"_

_"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll run along beside you."_

_Cal looked me up and down. Then he knelt down to pray. I guess he must have noticed that I'm pretty sporty for a girl (well, an Atlantean girl anyway; everybody wears peplums, but I wear jeans. Cal let me borrow one of his. He said it's too long for him, which means it fits me well), while he looks pretty nerdy for a boy, prince or not._

_"Why are you still here, Sire? I'm trying to train you up like Alexander of Macedon, and here you are, praying!" Coach Vizalian shouted._

_I decided to defend him. "Coach, HRH Prince Michael is not feeling well today. Maybe you could excuse him? Or I'm afraid his belated father will be _very_ concerned about his son…"_

_Coach looked visibly frightened. That's good. "Well, Sire, anything. Just as you're able to participate in the Annual Sports Fiesta of Atlantis, in February."_

_Cal heaved a sigh of relief. I asked him out of curiosity, "Who are you praying to?"_

_Cal blushed. "Well, usually I'm an atheist, but my mother was a devout Christian, so I…"_

_"What's Christian?" I asked._

_"Oh, Christianity is about this guy called Jesus who is God's son, and who sacrificed his life to set us free."_

_Hmm. A self-sacrificing God like that is not bad. "Well, the people here worships the sea god, but I don't. I think he's biased. 'Cause he only allows male priests. I'm an atheist too, but Christianity does not sound too bad."_

_So we spend the last of the lesson talking. And Mitchell was chatting with Coach Vizalian. I had a feeling it was something bad._

_At the end of the lesson, Coach Vizalian made a motion to us to come over to where he stood with Mitchell. Mitchell was smirking down at us, he being at least three inches taller than me._

_"Sire, your cousin has kindly offered to help me coach you in your sports area. Every evening, you will go run around the track for two kilometres, to gradually train you up. Every morning at dawn, you will go to the indoors pool and swim ten laps around the pool. Ms. Atlanto is right at suggesting gradual workout instead of one major burnout, right or not?"_

_He had only a view of Cal's strickened, panicking face and my own face reddening with fury. _


	8. Chapter 8

Tuesday, Atlantean Royal Academy for Boys

I can't believe it. I can't believe I had not dropped dead over over-exhaustion yet. I mean, I had never run more than one hundred metre, ever. Not that I'm fat, or anything. I'm bony. It's just that I've got a weak constitution (heart, lungs, kidneys, you name it), and my parents were very cautious with the amount of exercise I did in school. Like even though it's a sports test, or whatever, I'm always excused. I don't know if it's because I'm a Prince or really had a weak constitution, but I was still excused.

Not that I was bummed because of that. In fact, I was deliriously happy. I got to read books (mainly non-fictions on the different dimensions we exist in) and expand my knowledge. Apparently, this reasonable excuse didn't work out. Not in the slightest. And not just because Mitchell's training me, either.

I can't swim very well. Oh sure, my parents always made sure I got the skill to survive if I'm ever marooned on an island or anything, so I know how to climb trees (apparently, being sticky-eared and small like a monkey helps a lot) and how to stay afloat. So at least I won't drown.

You should see the size of the pool. Olympic sized, that's what. (Not that I know how big the size of an Olympic-sized pool is, but I figured it was that big.)

And ten laps around the pool. I mean, yeah, I'm not an athlete, but I doubt your average guy don't swim even that far. But apparently Mitchell can. And obviously he's not your average guy, at least not when exercise is concerned. He's an exercise freak.

Lia says she thinks it's because he wants to challenge me for my throne (um, excuse me, how does bodily-abled make you an eligible contestant for the throne? I mean, it's a hereditably position. And if he does take a whack at me, you can be pretty sure he'll go to jail. I mean, attacking royalty.)

But then Lia pointed out that during challenges, he can set a topic for the challenge. "And knowing Mitchell, he'll challenge you in physical areas."

So what? I'll just challenge him in the brain area. Unless he somehow punches me in the head and makes me lose my knowledge?

Anyway, he was near doing that today. Thank god that I was in the pool.thats

What happened was: I was trying my best to swim. When suddenly, half a dozen of Mitchell's friends, including Mitchell himself, joined me in the water.

"Hey, Mike," Mitchell said, "let's take a break from all those laps.

You wanna play a game?"

"What game?" I asked.

"A game that improves physical endurance," Mitchell said, eyes glinting. "You just hold hands with everyone and then go underwater. See who can last the longest."

"Um, no thanks. For one thing, games like _Survivor _that tests our limits are actually harmful to our body. We could get brain damage or anything. No, I'll just watch you guys play." I said.

That apparently wasn't the way I was supposed to reply, since Mitchell just hollered, "Get 'im!" And suddenly seven guys were struggling to grab my legs and pull me into subaqueous, holding me down.

Luckily, since I was standing neck deep in the pool (I was too short, Mitchell and the others are only in chest deep), and that water actually refracts light, so when they were trying to grab my legs, they couldn't make out which angle my legs were. This gave me the chance to blow my whistle that summons Pollo to me.

Pollo immediately broke up the "party" and said, "That's enough for today. Mitchell, didn't you realise that you cannot manhandle the Crown Prince?"

Mitchell mumbled, "Twas only a game to help him relax his undeveloped muscles."

Pollo lifted up his sleeves. "Want to show real undeveloped muscles? Then show me your peanut-sized biceps compared to mine."

And Pollo was right. Even though Mitchell had some muscles, his six-packs are only recently developed. Not like Pollo's, trained for over a decade.

But, like Lia said, they'll only try again and again. I'm not really safe anywhere anymore. And somehow, bringing me to Atlantis was really a bad idea, because there, most people know me and wants to kill me, where else in New York, nobody knew me.

And Pollo can't always be there to protect me.

So, like Lia said, "It's me against the Atlantean Royal Family", and they won't give up until they succeeded:

To kill me.

_But you still have me._

Yeah. Guess I should be glad that at least I've got a friend to consult with about my recent endangerment. I mean, I'm like the blue whale, being hunted, yet I'm esteemed, and all alone and endangered.

But still, like the bullies in my old school say, big deal.

(Big deal in having Lia, I mean. Not being a blue whale.)


	9. Chapter 9

_Wednesday, Atlantean Royal Academy for Boys_

_Well, it's been a disaster._

Totally.

_Did I say you can write in my journal?  
_Well, you did it to me, too.

_Whatever. Let's continue the narrative._

_Anyway, that wasn't supposed to happen today. The assassination, I mean. Well, not an direct assassination. That would be like, too obvious. It's an indirect one._

_What happened was, Cal was going to the temple of the sea god to pray for the god's blessings for the throne, or whatever. Like, reinstating of the throne. He was going with an entourage, dressed in gold and purple, with this diamond crown and gold sceptre, and crowds of dancing maidens were rejoicing. It was a festive occasion._

_So we went into the temple. It was huge, painted in blue, the sea's colour, and made of very expensive and rare wood. There was this enormous statue of the god (Naked, too, with mermaids, gazing up at him in adoration) made in bronze, silver, gold, and sapphire and turquoise._

_Then the priests welcomed us and brought Cal to the sacred antechamber. He could ask the pythoness one question. _

_"Am I the only one of my family left?" Cal asked._

_The pyhtoness was silent for a while. Then, "No, there is still one left."_

_Cal, apparently satisfied, was about to go off, when Roy came in. _

_"Well," he began, "is Michael really the Crown Prince of Atlantis, and your son, oh greatly esteemed Poseidon?"_

_Then there came a whispering, echoing and going louder, "Watch your mouth, mortal! Do not doubt my offspring!"_

_Roy looked embarrassed. "Well, but Michael's mother is not a pure Atlantis…"_

_The voice came back, angrier than ever. "Silence! She may not be of my blood, but she is of another godly heritage. Her blood is from the god Marduk!"_

_Roy, looking as though he was going to burst, literally crawled out of the antechamber. The priests all glared at him, and now Roy knew better than to enter the sacred temple ever again. _

_And so Cal was now King of Atlantis._

_There was a great festival. It was announced a holiday, and everyone was partying. The feast went on for three days and three nights. Of course, Cal only stayed for one day before moving back to the Royal Palace. Well, he meant to._

_Cal was eating a piece of chicken. He looked as though it was very delicious. I, being on a diet, just sniffed. Then I smelt something strange. I had a very delicate sense of smell, and there was a pungent odour among the fragrance._

_It came from this plate of fish fillet. It looked delicious, but was a horrible orange colour. _

_Cal, who loved fish fillets, reached out to take one. _

_I literally broke his arm, tearing it out of his grip, and flinging it as far away as I can. Which was, unfortunately, into Roy's face._

_Roy looked a sight. He glared around. "Who did it?" He roared._

_Cal was angry too. "Why'd you do that?" He demanded._

_"Because," I hissed, "the fillet was poisoned. There's this poisonous herb in Atlantis, it turns things orange. If you eat it, you will die in an hour."_

_Roy, hearing this, came ominously to me. My father looked scared._

_Luckily, Cal said coolly, "Go back to your seat, Roy. It's nothing."_

_Roy, furious and drunk, reached out as though to break Cal's scrawny neck. "Why you insolent—"_

_Unfortunately, the word was drowned out by an excite yelping. Mitchell's pet dog, Max, was vacuuming the fillet. But as soon as he finished it, he collapsed onto the floor._

_Cal looked at me. _

_"I don't know," I whispered back. "It's not supposed to work that fast."_

_Mitchell joined his father and shouted at me. "You bi—"_

_Pollo stepped up and put his arms out, protecting Cal and me. "There has been an attempt at poisoning the King of Atlantis," he addressed the crowd, "so the RAPF will be escorting HRH Michael back to the Palace now. Come on, Sire." And turning to his second officer, he added, "And investigate this."_

_Cal just gulped and swallowed. I felt sick. I mean, the dog was turning black already. Mitchell looked heartbroken. His dog was a hunting dog, which means it's very brutal and big. Just like him._

_He glanced up and caught my eye. "—tch, you just wait. It's not over yet."_

_As much as I would love to slap him, I could not do it now. No, some things were more important. Like other attempts on Cal's life._


	10. Chapter 10

Thursday, Atlantean Royal Palace

I wondered if I should participate or not. I mean, in the sports competition after my coronation. Which was held in the town square. I'll be wearing purple and gold robes and this heavy crown, and all that. And afterwards there's this racing competition.

Lia thinks that I shouldn't. For all I know, I might get shot during the competition. Contrary to popular practice, Atlantean Sports events are kinda like the Olympics. Only they don't shoot when the event starts. They shoot when the first person finishes.

Here's the ceremony:

It starts at dawn. The whole army of Atlantis is gathered before me. The Navy, Airforce, phalanxes… Then I have to call out to their divisions, and all of them will hit their chests and shout: Hail, Michelangelo! Which Lia says is the formal version of my name.

I mean, Michelangelo?? Luckily I was only plain Cal in New York.

And then the parade. We must walk around the square (hey, it's very big, like the size of Olympic tracks), which takes us nearly an hour, marching. I was sweating profusely already.

After that I was allowed to sit down in my throne, made of ivory and amber (I have told Roy repeatedly that I do not want anything made of ivory, as it's cruel to elephants, but he said that my ancestors have been sitting on that throne for ages), and then this archpriest will remove my makeshift crown for the full ceremony gold crown (hello! Big, and made of pure gold! I'm going to get a migraine), saying, "Fellow Atlanteans! The day has come! Atlantis has a new King!" And then everyone fell on their knees and genuflects.

I mean, that is so _Troy_, or _Alexander_ or _King Arthur_. I mean, seeing thousands of people bowing to a scrawny boy, sweating under all that fur (again, I said it's cruel to animals, but Roy just don't seem to care) and whose crown is lopsided on the head, blinking up at the sky under thick lenses, is an entirely different experience.

Like, Alexander, King Arthur, and those likes are big and muscled and tanned and _hairy_, while I'm not all of that.

Then came the feasting. I mean, exoctic foods like peacock meat and platypus eggs? Um, not my favourite exactly. I mean, eew. Platypus eggs?

Which carries on until the afternoon. Then came the race. You see big, muscled, tanned and hairy men, poised on their various automobiles. In the end, I decided to enter. I had never flown alone before on my steed. Plus, it is a symbol that the King is nice and skilled in sports…

…Not.

Anyway, I buckled on my seatbelt and whistled. (OK, I don't really know how to whistle. But I can _pretend_ to, you know.) In Atlantis, boys started driving when they turn into young men, which was the age of thirteen. Unlike America, which must be sixteen years old.

"On your marks, get set, go!" The referee shouted! I guess once the satellite television was connected, the referee was addicted to racing.

I geared up and was off. I was the only one flying, because I'm the King. Also, as I explained, the air resistance is much more greater than ordinary driving, and I sounded very professional and all, so they gave in. Anyway, it looked like I was winning…

…Or not.

Because my battery is dying. I thought the Royal Mechanic had assured me that the faster I went, the more chemical energy stored? I guess something was wrong. That's because there was no battery. Oh, and did I mention that the sun was setting now? That means no solar energy either, dude.

Already my headlights were dimming. I was rocking from side to side. A total crash off. But that wasn't the worst. The worst was that my pet terrapin, Terry, which I'd brought for luck in the race, had slided out from my open glove compartment. And was now falling, ten feet down.

I did what any pet lover would have done. I jumped right off the automobile. I mean, it was only ten feet high. It wouldn't have killed me. Plus I was so skinny and all, so the impact won't be too great. Oh, and at least Terry would be safe. Because it was the last thing my father gave me that I still had. And I'd been with Terra for like, five years or so. Longer than I'd been with Atlantis, anyway. So what if I'd crashed their one-and-only prototype of this kind of automobiles? It was totally worth it.

I landed on my ones and knees, crouched into a type of position like those of cats. I looked up and saw my automobile slowly losing control and crashing to the floor. A large piece of scrap metal had flown up because of the impact and ricocheted towards the referee, who was just proceeding to shoot into the air. Well, that thing hit his arm and his aim was off. It shot Roy instead. Well, Roy's hair, anyway. Which turned out to be fake, make of horse mane. Another topic Roy had on animal conservation.

But things were not looking too good here. More automobiles were gaining at me. If I don't move, I'd get knocked down. And believe me, the cars were moving at such velocity, that I'm sure my skull would burst if they hit me head on. And I couldn't run away either. I mean, it was the final round now. They were all gearing up for

the final sprint. And the track was twenty metres wide. I had only two seconds before they crash. And then suddenly I was swooped up into the air.


	11. Chapter 11

_Wednesday, Town Square _

_That idiot! I told him not to join in the race. But would he listen to me? No. And now he's going to get himself killed. I knew it was going to happen. Someone was out for his life. And though I'd like to be a spectator and then say, "_I told you so_," I can't._

_Because he's the King. And my friend. _

_So while he was racing, I was mounting my own bike. It was the same kind of bike the racers are using. I was just sitting there, watching him. The moment he began to fall, I was already on the tracks. _

_So while he was just crouching there, not doing a thing to save himself, I arrived and pulled him up to sit behind me. It actually should be the guy pulling the girl up, not the other way round, but he was too skinny._

_And I managed to spin around and zoom twenty metres. I had exactly one second before collision. _

_"Hold on tight!" I yelled, and geared up._

BAM!

_Well, at least it's only my bike. Cal could pay for it using the money in his treasury. I don't care. I saved his life, and he should be grateful._

_Oh, and did I mention the scrap metal that came from my bike went flying into the air? Well, it hit Mitchell in the head. And he fainted. So he didn't win._

_Three cheers for Lia, because let's face it: I rule!_

_And not just because I saved the life of the King, either._

Thursday, Atlantean Royal Palace

I mean, I was swooped up into the air to rest on Lia's bike. She had rescued me. For this, I would be eternally grateful, and…

…Humiliated. Guys, especially Kings, have pride, too.

But anyway, it was thanks to her that I survived. Which is why I granted her what she wanted:

To publish this diary under our names,

Let her read my diary first.

Seriously. Just because she saved my life, who does she think she is?

_Dude, you own me one._

How could I forget. But this week that I've spent in Atlantis? Well, it wasn't so bad. Really. I mean, I'd made a friend, being assured I'm I a descendant of gods, and get to see my uncle with a bald head and Mitchell fainting like a girl.

Nothing could make this wonderful day worse—

"Your Highness? The Regent grants an audience," Pollo called from outside.

I sighed and gathered up my diary. Then I went to the meeting room.

Lia was already there, with her father. So was Mitchell.

"Now, Sire, there has been a long-standing tradition for newly coronated rulers to…"

God. Just get on with it. You're ruining my day—

"… choose a wife at the following day. So who's it going to be, Sire? Lia will show you the list of approved young ladies. I am sure that you could make a choice this afternoon. Everyone will be gathered at the Town Square to hear your announcement…"

Which just goes to show that _something_ could always make a wonderful day worse.


End file.
